The most popular current emergency tire traction devices for motor vehicle tires are constructed of steel and are known as "steel link tire chains". Some of the problems with such steel link tire chains are listed below. If one could imagine similar tire traction attachments for motor vehicle tires made of polymeric plastic materials (herein referred to generally as plastic materials) instead of steel, then the problems with the steel link tire chains can be compared with corresponding plastic tire traction devices. Such a comparison might be as follows:
______________________________________ Steel Link Tire Chains Plastic Tire Traction Device ______________________________________ (a) Metal rusts (a) Plastic does not rust (b) Heavy - 10-25 pounds (b) Light - 2-3 pounds (c) Centrifugal forces large (c) Centrifugal forces small (d) Storage - entangles (d) Storage - does not when rolled up entangle when rolled up (e) Handling - difficult (e) Handling - easy, because because heavy and cold light and not cold (f) Handling - difficult (f) Handling - easy, because because floppy tends to retain shape (g) Cannot be used on dry (g) Can be used on dry pavement pavement (h) Noisy at high speed (h) Quiet at high speed (i) Damages tire (i) No tire damage (j) Dangerous if chain breaks (j) No danger to vehicle and often damages vehicle or others if it breaks (k) High fabrication cost (k) Low fabrication cost (1/10 to 1/5 sale price of steel link chains) (l) Installation - difficult (l) Installation - easy requires skill no skill required ______________________________________
Heretofore, efforts have been made to provide steel link tire chains for motor vehicles that are modified to overcome some of the above mentioned disadvantages of steel link tire chains. Those efforts include coating the steel links with plastic or rubber. Plastic coated steel tire chains links tends to make the chains less noisy and may reduce damage to the tire, however plastic coating increases the weight and cost and makes the chains more bulky, and the plastic coating does not contribute to strength and tends to wear off quickly, particularly where the plastic coating is impacted between the hard steel and the hard pavement.